Nearly the Same
by CH-Flo
Summary: (YYHIY) When the Higurashi family is forced to move from their shrine in Tokyo to an apartment next to Yusuke, he and Kagome realize that their lifestyles aren't all that different. YusxKag
1. Not Such a Tough Guy Afterall?

Disclaimer: I do not own YuYu Hakusho, or Inuyasha.

Nearly the Same

**Chapter One: Maybe Not Such a Tough Guy After All**

"I'm sure that they will come visit you, Kagome," her mother Shiori said, putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder. Kagome nodded solemnly, her eyes still fixed on the well house.

Sighing quietly, Shiori walked back towards the house, intending to help Grandfather and Sota finish packing. Kagome on the other hand, was far too distraught to do so.

Because of her grandfather's medical bills, the Higurashi family was being forced to sell the shrine; the only home that Kagome and Sota had ever known. Everything in their life was being forced to change; they were moving to a less classy part of Tokyo into a small apartment; they would need to switch schools and try to make new friends.

There were only two things that Kagome was thankful for at that very moment: One, her grandfather was alive and well; two, she would probably never need to speak to that dreadful Hojo again.

How ironic it was for it to be raining on moving day. And to make things worse, the key to the apartment had not been delivered to them yet and they had to wait outside.

They had only one umbrella, which Kagome had given up for her mother and grandfather, so she, Souta, and Buyo were left to soak in the rain. Shiori and Grandfather however, were extremely grateful for her generosity.

"Um, excuse me!" a woman's voice yelled. Kagome turned around to see a rather attractive, middle-aged woman calling out to them. She had both hands over her head to try and shield herself from the rain. Kagome assumed that she had come from the apartment next to their own, due to the fact that the door was wide open. "Would you like to come inside to get warm? I've got hot chocolate and coffee if you'd like."

So, not two minutes later, they were in the well-kept apartment, drinking hot chocolate and coffee and telling their tale.

They learned that the generous woman's name was Atsuko, and somewhere, she had a teenage son Kagome's age running around and causing chaos with his friends.

"I can't even begin to thank you for your generosity, Atsuko," Shiori said, bringing her coffee mug to her lips. Atsuko smiled and shook her head.

"Not a problem at all. I'm looking forward to having some civil people around here." Atsuko suddenly noticed Kagome and Souta's damp clothing and gasped. "Here I am talking about non-civil people and I'm letting you two sit in your wet clothes! I'm so sorry!" the woman exclaimed, standing up and leaving the room.

A few seconds later, the woman returned, an armful of clothing in her hands.

"These are my son's clothes. I'm sure they'll be too big on you, but you have a far better chance of these fitting than my own clothes. The bathroom's over there," she said, handing clothes to each Kagome and Souta and pointing to a dark room down the hall.

"Thanks," Kagome muttered. She sat Buyo down on the floor and headed to the bathroom.

As soon as Kagome had left the room, Atsuko looked to Shiori.

"Do you know what school she'll be going to?" her new acquaintance inquired.

"Saryaski High School," she replied after nodding. Atsuko's expression didn't change.

"I'm sure you've realized that this isn't the best neighborhood in Tokyo," she explained.

"I am aware…" Kagome's mother replied softly.

"It's especially dangerous when you're a pretty girl like Kagome. Not to brag or anything, but my son's a pretty tough kid and he goes to Saryaski High as well. I'm sure he wouldn't mind walking your daughter there and back," she explained, leaning back in her chair. Shiori immediately smiled.

"That would be great. Are you sure it's not a problem?"

Atsuko shook her head. "Not at all. And Souta goes to Saryaski Junior High, is that correct?" Once again, her question was rewarded with a small, but sure nod. "That's on the way to the high school. He can accompany them as well. I believe that Yusuke walks there with a couple of his friends, but they're good kids so it shouldn't be a problem."

"I really can't think you enough for all this," Shiori said sincerely, her eyes darting to her father who was napping on the couch.

The door to the bathroom opened and out walked Kagome in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts that were far too baggy for her, but they would do. Upon seeing his sister emerge from the bathroom, Souta darted for it, apparently needing it for another reason besides changing.

"Did I miss anything?" Kagome asked, sitting down next to her mother.

"It seems that you and Souta will be having an escort to school, Kagome," Shiori replied, smiling. Kagome smiled a little too, in response, happy that she would have some degree of safety in this new neighborhood.

There was a knock on the front door and Atsuko immediately jumped to her feet to answer it. When she opened it, a plump old man stood in front of her. His face wore a grim expression.

"We're expecting a new family to move in. I don't suppose you've seen them, have you? I've got their key for them," he said in an irritated voice. Atsuko was not overly kind in response.

"Yes, they've been in here with me for the past hour due to the manager not delivering the key on time. Shame, isn't it?" she snipped, snatching the keys from his hand.

The manager rolled his eyes and without another word, he turned around and walked back out into the pouring rain. Atsuko seemed happy to close the door and turn back to her guests.

"Here's your key, Shiori. And that man," she began after handing the key to the other woman, "Is a prick. He's the manager. Avoid speaking to him at all costs."

Shiori chuckled. "Duly noted." She stood up and Souta came in the room, laughing at his baggy clothing. "Thank you so much for your hospitality, Atsuko, you're an incredibly charming woman. And Kagome and Souta will be sure to return the clothing as soon as possible."

Atsuko assured her that it wasn't a problem, and that she was more than happy to help.

"I'm looking forward to having a girlfriend living next door! You'll have to stop by occasionally you know," she told her with a wink.

"Of course, of course."

And everyone bid their good-byes just as the Higurashi's moving truck pulled into the apartment parking lot.

_-Two Days Later-_

Kagome was knocking on Atsuko's apartment door, her son's clothing folded neatly under her arm. After a few quick knocks, the door opened to reveal what she could only assume was her neighbor's son that she spoke of, the owner of the clothes that she had recently acquired. She had to admit, she figured that he would be attractive due to his mother's obvious good looks, but she hadn't expected –this-.

"Yeah?"

"Um," Kagome stumbled a little. "You must be Atsuko's son-"

"Yusuke," he said immediately.

"Yusuke," she repeated with a smile. "I'm Kagome Higurashi, we just moved in next door," she said, extending her empty hand. After he quirked a curious eyebrow, he shook the awaiting hand and glanced at the clothes in her hands.

"Aren't those-"

"Yours. Your mother lent them to my brother and I… it's kind of a long story." Kagome giggled lightly as she pushed the clothing into Yusuke's hands.

"Come on in, I guess," Yusuke said huskily, moving from the door to let Kagome in. She nodded somewhat nervously and walked in, hearing the door close seconds later.

Yusuke walked out of the room and into another, leaving Kagome to stand nervously in the Urameshi household once again. To her relief, Yusuke returned seconds later, the clothes no longer in his hands. He flopped down on the couch with a remote control in his hands and flicked the television on. He almost immediately noticed Kagome standing awkwardly in his doorway and motioned for her to sit down in a chair. And she did. He couldn't help but be a little pleased at himself with how flustered this girl was becoming at his mere presence, and he grinned a little in spite of himself. Yusuke's eyes couldn't help straying to her exposed, shapely legs. His thoughts were certainly anything but innocent and he was a little startled when Kagome started talking again suddenly, and it was clear she had noticed his wandering eyes, judging from the not-so-faint blush that was staining her cheeks.

"Um… Atsuko told you of her little arrangement I suppose?" she asked, still a little nervous. He nodded without looking up and just as she began to speak again, he cut her off. She was predictable.

"No, it's not a problem, just as long as you and your brother aren't going to be a pain in the ass," he told her.

Kagome smiled, as she was reminded of a certain hanyou.

After a few minutes had gone by with Yusuke channel surfing, he shut the television off, sat up and stared intently at Kagome, who's eyes were fixated on her perfectly tied shoe laces.

"You aren't much of a talker, are you?"

Kagome looked up, and laughed in response. "You're probably the only person who has ever said that to me."

Yusuke smirked and stood up. Brushing his knees for no apparent reason.

"You like the arcade?" Immediately, Kagome's eyes lit up.

"Yes! Absolutely!"

"Let's go, then. It's a short walk and I can probably introduce you to

a person or two there."

Something that Kagome noticed immediately with her walk with Yusuke, was that people around them seemed nervous about him.

"Have you committed any terrorist acts lately?" she inquired, quirking a dark eyebrow.

"No, but I've definitely got a reputation," he bragged gruffly, putting his hands in his pockets. Kagome laughed slightly, and Yusuke looked surprised at her response. "Is that funny?"

Kagome nodded a little. "You're the school tough-guy, huh?" He shrugged. "At my old school, people wouldn't hang out with me," she began, and Yusuke's eyes widened. "Because everyone called me the 'walking-epidemic'. I was sick constantly," she said, only partly lying. She was called the walking-epidemic, but there were only a few occasions out of her absences where she was actually ill.

They were interrupted by a whistle and a cat-call when they passed a group of guys. Yusuke stopped and looked more than a little annoyed.

"Problem, assholes?" he asked haughtily.

A tall, muscular-looking one stepped forward and smirked. "No problem, Urameshi. But, who's the babe and what the fuck is she doin' with you?" he asked, jerking a thumb towards Kagome. Apparently Yusuke knew these guys.

Yusuke glanced at Kagome before looking back at someone who, apparently, was one of his rivals.

Kagome noticed that they all wore the same red uniform, probably belonging to a school that rivaled Saryaski.

"I'm not sure what you're complaining about, Mikamoto, it's pretty obvious that most of your company consists of chicks anyway."

"You better watch it, prick," one of them said angrily in his direction. Yusuke only grinned, and scratched the back of his head. Kagome was more than a little amazed that he was so willingly picking a fight with a group of tough looking guys over something as trivial as a cat-call. Especially when he was so badly outnumbered.

"Or what? You going to hit me with one of your girlish slaps? Come on, man, gimme a fucking break. Do you creeps not remember what happened last time? How I kicked all of your asses single-handedly?" he spat. "I'd hate to have a repeat. I don't wanna embarrass you in front of the girl here," Yusuke said.

That time, Yusuke had hit a mark with Mikamoto.

"You better watch your ass, Urameshi. 'Cause one of these days, I'll catch you off-guard and I'll fucking pummel you," he said coldly. He ran a hand through his shoulder length black hair and winked at Kagome, who only grimaced in disgust.

"See ya around, babe." And they departed, most of them not at all happy.

Yusuke turned back to Kagome, who looked a little more than shocked.

"Stay away from those guys," Yusuke said, his tone gruff. Kagome only nodded and began walking again, leaving the Spirit Detective a few steps again. He couldn't help but admire her again, but decided this time he wasn't going to keep quiet.

"Ya know, you've got some pretty nice looking legs," he told her as he drifted into step alongside her. He had a cocky grin on his face, as he waited anxiously for her response to his pervertedness. He wasn't at all surprised to see her blushing again, but was a little taken off guard by her scrunched eyebrows and clenched fists.

"Would you like a kick to the balls, Yusuke?"

Yusuke laughed rather openly in response. That, he hadn't expected. Perhaps she was used to the perverted comments. But somehow, he doubted she would follow through with… such a painful sounding threat.

"I think I'll pass on that one," he told her, ruffling her hair, very casually for two people that had just met less than an hour ago. But somehow, it looked natural. He chuckled when her eyebrows drew together once again, and she playfully smacked his arm in response. Any passerby would probably expect them to be siblings, at the very least.

After a minute or so, Yusuke dug his hands into his pockets again.

"Sorry your ass got dragged into that… thing back there," he suddenly said seriously. She looked up. "Mikamoto and his goons are a bunch of creeps and they really make this neighborhood pretty unsafe when there's girls like you running around…" Yusuke trailed off, scuffing the sidewalk with his shoe.

Kagome looked confused. "Girls like me?"

Yusuke turned his head to the side, away from her view. "Pretty girls."

Kagome blushed. "Well, thanks." He glanced at her.

"For what?"

Kagome just shook her head with a smile. "You put on a tough-front, but you maybe you really aren't such a tough-guy after all."

Revised 03/04/07


	2. Encounter at the Arcade and a Small Inux...

Disclaimer: I. Own. Nothing.

Nearly the Same

**Chapter 2**

Thankfully, the rest of their walk was uneventful, but Yusuke was positive that his face was still red from the 'pretty girl' comment. Kagome, however, either didn't notice or just didn't mention it.

The duo walked into the arcade, which was bustling with activity. Different tones of rings were being emitted all at once along with cheers of excitement or the groans that signaled someone's loss.

Despite all the noise in the building, there was one scream that stood out among the rest.

"YES! I AM THE KING OF ALL THINGS ARCADE! WHOO-HOO!" a deep voice yelled. Yusuke rolled his eyes, immediately recognizing the voice and he set off to find the guy.

Kagome stayed close to him, avoiding eye contact with the several pairs of creepy eyes that were gazing in her direction. 'Perhaps they're just not used to being in the same room with a female?' she wondered, smiling a little in spite of herself.

Yusuke stopped behind a tall, red haired teenager that was clad in a blue school uniform. His back was facing them, but as soon as he turned around, Kagome wished a million times over that he hadn't.

"What the hell are you doin' here, Urameshi?" he asked, not noticing Kagome yet.

Kagome was thankful. She was deathly afraid that one look into his eyes would turn her into stone. She didn't stay lucky for long, though, for his gaze drifted to her almost immediately after he first spoke.

Despite his… unnatural looking appearance, there was a certain kindness in his eyes that Kagome couldn't deny.

"Wow… who's she?" he said quietly, speaking of Kagome as if she wasn't even present. Yusuke smacked the guy swiftly in the back of the head without even looking, making it clear to her that it was a common occurrence.

"I'm Kagome Higurashi… and you are?" she said extending her hand for a friendly shake, merely out of common courtesy. She realized this was the wrong move as soon as she saw those hearts appear in his eyes.

He clasped his larger hands over her own and began sappily: "I'm the great Kazuma Kuwabara! Will you be my girlfriend?"

Yusuke sweatdropped, while Kagome was reminded of a certain perverted monk. She tugged her hand from his grasp and gave him a small, sympathetic smile, planning to let the oaf down easy.

"I'm taken, I'm afraid," she replied. It was a little white lie, but she would rather not hurt the poor guy's feelings. Little did she know, that this statement was far more bothersome to Yusuke than it was to this new redhead.

"And out of your league anyway, Kuwabara," Yusuke snapped, folding his toned arms over his chest. "Besides, what about Yukina?"

"Oh. I momentarily forgot about her," he grunted, scratching the back of his head.

Yusuke raised his eyebrow at the lengthy word but then shook his head. "Whatever. Kagome here is gonna start walking with us to school."

Kuwabara looked completely dumbfounded. "Does that mean you'll be coming to school now?"

"I COME TO SCHOOL, DAMMIT!"

"Though, not on a daily basis. Am I correct, Yusuke?" a soft voice asked.

The sudden presence of the new person caused everyone to jump in surprise, and the newest addition to the party chuckled, his lovely smile reaching far beyond his lovely eyes. Kagome swooned.

"Forgive me. I didn't mean to frighten anyone."

And there before Kagome, stood a tall boy about their age with flowing red hair. Unlike Kuwabara, who didn't notice Kagome for a moment or so, the new boy's attention was entirely focused on her. He gave her the impression that he was a gentleman, which was an amazing quality in her eyes, and one she certainly wasn't used to.

And his next action definitely proved her previous suspicions.

He knelt down on the ground in front of her, took one of her delicate hands and placed his lips on it in a charming gesture. Kagome blushed from her head to her toes, her brown eyes wide in shock.

"I'm Shuichi Minamino, but my friends call me Kurama."

It took Kagome a moment to get over the initial shock of his actions. Though she did reply, her answer was anything but complete. She always thought that when the movies and books portrayed a male or female character as a bumbling idiot when in contact with the opposite sex, that it was a rare occurrence, as she had never, ever experienced such a think herself. But, this man… This man was certainly proving otherwise.

"I… I'm…um," she stuttered, her face becoming even redder by the moment.

"Ka-go-me," Yusuke supplied slowly, rolling his eyes at the scene before him. The girl had said not two minutes ago that she was 'taken', yet she was here gushing and making a fool of herself over Kurama, the dick, the ex-friend who was responsible for his girlfriend leaving him.

Kagome nodded furiously. "Y-yes. Kagome H-Higurashi."

"Hey! You're hittin' on a taken chick! Where's the pride?" Kuwabara yelled loudly. A few people stared, but since Kuwabara was a regular at that particular arcade, their stares ceased rather quickly.

It was Kurama's turn to blush. He stood up. "I'm terribly sorry if I gave you that impression, I was merely trying to be polite. No wonder you were so distraught." He gave her a sympathetic smile, and Kagome couldn't help but smile back. But, realizing what she was doing she turned away, and began staring in the opposite direction.

Kagome clasped her hands together and avoided eye contact, still blushing.

"Yeah, and how's Keiko, Kurama?" Yusuke asked haughtily. The death glare that Kurama sent Yusuke was undeniable, and rather unflattering for his gorgeous features. It was entirely unnatural looking for someone that good-looking to seem so angry.

"I was merely being polite, Yusuke," he repeated, his lips drawn into a distinct frown.

Kagome felt guilty about all of this. She was convinced that it was all directly or indirectly her fault. She didn't know who Keiko was, but it was obviously a sore subject.

"I'm really not meaning to start a fight between you guys. I'll just leave," she said, a small, fake smile on her face. As she turned to go, Yusuke's gently grabbed her arm.

"You didn't do anything, but if you wanna go, we'll go," he told her.

"You should stay here with Kazuma and Kurama. It's a short walk back home; I can take care of myself."

"No fucking way."

Kagome looked a little taken aback at his language but was cut off.

"Come on, you just saw what happened on the way here," he reminded her. Kuwabara and Kurama started in their direction, both of their expressions ones of curiousity, and at the same time, worry.

"What happened?" Kurama inquired. He knew that Yusuke was perfectly capable of taking care of the girl, but just the mere thought of someone giving Kagome problems, or any female for that matter, just rubbed him the wrong way.

"Don't worry, I took care of it. Just a run-in with that douche Mikamoto and a few of his goons," Yusuke replied casually. "Which **should** have been reason enough for Kagome to be eager to have a badass acquaintance through these dangerous city streets, but noooooo. She likes being difficult."

Kagome rolled her eyes and tugged on his arm. "Whatever. Let's go, Mister 'Badass'," she mocked. She waved goodbye to her two new friends as Kagome was led out of the arcade.

"I, uh, kinda lied back there," she began softly as they began their walk. Yusuke remained silent, so Kagome continued. "I just figured I should tell you that I'm not 'taken'," she explained, using hand-quotes. "I just didn't want to hurt Kazuma's feelings."

Inwardly, Yusuke was hugely relieved, but felt he needed to keep up appearances.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Can I ask who… Keiko is? And Yukina?" she asked sheepishly. She saw Yusuke wince at Keiko's name, but it only took a few more seconds for him to regain his composure. "If you don't want to tell me-"

"Ex-girlfriend. Back-stabbing bitch of an ex-girlfriend is what Keiko is. Recently she got together with Kurama and I've kinda been giving him a hard time about it," he admitted, scuffing the sidewalk with his shoe. "And Yukina… is Hiei's sister and Kuwabara's girlfriend."

"Okay. You lost me."

Yusuke chuckled slightly and laced his fingers together behind his head as they walked on.

"Hiei is a shrimpy guy. He's got funky black hair and he has no social skills whatsoever. It's kinda hard to believe he's Yukina's brother actually because she's pretty cute, but you know. Every family has their freaks."

"What about your family? I'm kinda the freak of mine so I don't need to explain myself," she explained with a smile. Once again, Yusuke laughed at her statement.

"I knew that right-off," he replied, which earned him a punch in the shoulder. "God-dammit! What is it with you chicks and your damn punches!" he yelled loudly as he held his already-forming bruise. Kagome stifled a giggle behind a hand as he continued to utter a string of curses under his breath. "Can I talk or are you gonna hit me again?"

"Go ahead."

"Well, my mom and I are about all that is left of my family. I guess she used to be the freak though."

"No! She was extremely polite and nice!"

Yusuke shrugged. "That's her now. She's changed a lot, for the better, really. After my dad died she used to be drunk off her ass twenty-four seven but I think she finally realized what she had turned into and changed."

"Good for her. But, I'm really sorry about your dad."

Yusuke shrugged. "Long time ago. No use crying over it now. He looked at her. "What about your dad?"

Kagome hummed a little, and put her finger to her chin, and he could only assume this was her 'thinking face'. "Left us when I was… eight, I believe. He left for a much younger woman and didn't want anything else to do with us," she said, frighteningly casual about such a horrible subject. "As you said. 'Long time ago. No use crying over it now.'," she winked.

Yusuke scoffed a little, but admired her strength about such a subject. It was uncommon.

"We're here," Yusuke stated. They stalked up the apartment complex's stairs in silence, with only their footsteps breaking the quiet until they got to the door. She reached for the doorknob, and just as she was about to dart inside, Yusuke pulled lightly on her elbow. "Wait. You mind if I ask you something?"

She smiled and nodded.

"I'm clearly not a very nice guy. And yet you're hanging around anyway, and from how it seems from here, you're **enjoying** it. I'm not sure how unusual you realize this is, but I've gotta ask. What the hell gives?"

Now that, had definitely caught her off guard. But, she giggled nonetheless. He quirked an eyebrow, as she started giving him her answer. It wasn't entirely well thought out, but she figured it would satisfy him enough. Or perhaps confuse the hell out of him.

"Believe it or not, Mister Urameshi," she began, poking him in the chest, "You're not exactly the first guy I've known that's a little rough around the edges. In fact, I've encountered many, many people that make –you- pale horribly in comparison. You give yourself waaaay too much credit. Thinking you're a tough guy and whatnot. But, when in reality, you're really just a teddy bear. A tough-looking teddy bear. With sailor hat and a cute little blue tie around your neck!"

She giggled, obviously not aware that she had trailed on about nothing for a while, and even if she did, she probably wouldn't care. She had gotten the point across, which was her original goal.

Yusuke on the otherhand, looked a little dumbfounded. 'Teddy bear? What the fuck?'

"Good night!" she exclaimed cheerfully. She gave a small wave, and disappeared into her apartment, her door shutting loudly behind her.

'Shit, what a way to end the day,' Yusuke thought to himself. He stopped gawking at Kagome's closed apartment door and decided to let himself into his own.

He plopped down on his couch and grabbed for the remote control when he felt a strange energy nearby. Very close, actually, and probably very close to Kagome's location.

He hopped up from his couch and walked through his apartment, trying to get as close to the energy as he could. When he finally couldn't get any further without actually being in Kagome's apartment, he realized that the energy was unmistakable. It was a demon. Or, at least, part of a demon.

--------------------------------

Kagome dropped directly backwards onto her bed with a deep sigh. She was extremely grateful for Yusuke's company but she missed her friends from the Feudal Era greatly. Just when she thought she could very possibly burst into tears, there was a bang on her window.

She sat up quickly, afraid of what or who it could be when she saw a familiar red-clad, white haired, teenage-looking boy.

She ran to the window and forced it open and the hanyou practically fell in. He stood up and brushed himself off, but he looked kind of pissed off. His disheveled appearance definitely took away from the effect of this, though. Some kind of stain on the front of his garb, his messy hair. Apparently, her absence was turning him into a bit of a slob.

"Oy, wench! Why couldn't you have moved somewhere close to the well?" he asked gruffly, but immediately his facial expression changed when he saw her relieved one. He offered her one, very small smile, before Kagome squealed and tackled him to the ground in a hug.

"Off!" he yelled, trying to pry the girl from him. When she finally did, she had gained enough of her voice back to ask a thousand and one questions.

"Is life boring without me? How's Shippou? And Miroku? And Sango? Have they gotten together yet? It's a shame I'm not there-"

"Kagome, geez! Would you stop for a second? Everyone's fine! I just came to see that you were still alive."

Kagome nodded slightly in understanding and stood up.

"I really can't stay long, Kagome, you know that, but the second you get the chance, come and visit. Everyone misses you like hell," he said, standing up for the second time since his entrance. "Before I forget, Shippou asked me to deliver these."

The hanyou pulled a stack of papers from his shirt, they all looked brilliantly colored. Shippou never ceased to amaze her. She accepted them gratefully and decided not to look at them yet. She didn't want to break down in front of Inuyasha.

"Thank you. It means a lot that you came."

Inuyasha blushed. "Well, it wasn't all me, ya know. Everyone practically forced me down the well to see you."

She chuckled and looked away, tears forming in her eyes. Even the normally clueless Inuyasha saw it.

"Kagome. he said softly. And without any hesitation whatsoever, he took a single step forward, which was enough to put him close enough to her, to wrap his arms around her tiny frame. It took only seconds for the girl to break down, and sob into his chest.

"I miss you guys so much," she said through her tears.

"I hate to say it, but your place is here now. The jewel's done. You'll find some guy… and he'll make you really happy… and if anyone tries anything I swear-"

Kagome laughed and pulled away, wiping her tears away quickly.

"Thank you, Inuyasha."

And with a small nod and grin on his part, he exited the same way he came.

Just like that, he was gone. Little did he know, that he had taken a part of Kagome with him.

Revised 03/04/07


	3. Mikamoto

Disclaimer: I do not own, and do not claim to own YuYu Hakusho, or Inuyasha.

Nearly the Same

**Chapter 3: Mikamoto**

Immediately after picking up Shippou's well-drawn art, Kagome felt the tears come again. The good ol' days were over. The jewel was completed. She wasn't supposed to be a huge part of all of their lives anymore.

At the first one, Kagome laughed through her tears.

It was an oh-so-familiar scene of Miroku and Sango, with Miroku none too subtly groping Sango's behind. She put that one on the bed and looked at the next one. Miroku was on the ground sporting a swollen jaw while Sango was looking away, blushing.

Their chemistry was so obvious! Why weren't they together!

She set that picture aside to look at the next.

Kagome laughed again. It was Inuyasha asleep, Kirara curled up just below his chin. And finally, she looked at the last. It was all of them; Miroku, Sango, Kirara, Inuyasha, and finally Shippou, waving, seemingly at her.

At around midnight that night, Kagome tried to sleep, but only managed to be unsuccessful. She had turned and tried to get in new positions several times, but it didn't seem to help at all. She kept thinking about them.

She sat up in her bed and slipped her feet into her slippers. She started to walk out of the room, but she turned around and grabbed her bag before she left.

Deciding that she knew her mother wouldn't appreciate it if she left without so much as a note, Kagome dodged the moving boxes and stepped quietly into the kitchen and wrote very quickly, and with the best possible legibility she could in the dark, on a notepad that was magnetized to the fridge explaining her soon-to-be absence.

Once satisfied, she slung her yellow backpack over her shoulder and crept from the apartment, still clad in pajamas and slippers.

----------------------------------

'Why is what she said bothering me so much!' Yusuke screamed mentally. He slammed a pillow over his head in a strange attempt to get to sleep, but failed.

"Why can't I stop fucking thinking about it?" Yusuke yelled aloud. He could hear his mother scream incoherently from her room, but he really didn't care. Not even anything Keiko had ever said bothered him this much and he'd only known this Kagome chick for about six hours.

"Fuck it," he muttered, sitting up in his bed. Maybe he would go for a walk. He needed the fresh air.

-----------------------

Kagome had estimated the walk to the shrine to be about an hour, give or take five or ten minutes. It would be worth it.

She was nearly jogging in an attempt to get there even faster. She needed to see everyone so badly. Inuyasha's heart-breaking visit only intensified that need by about two-thousand.

Her speed became faster. She ran past all of the liquor stores and abandoned buildings; the funky tanning salons and the convenience stores.

The wind was blowing through her hair and all that could be heard was the bottoms of her slippers scraping against the pavement.

Just when a smile had crept upon her face at the sight of the beautiful, full moon, she got a nasty feeling in the pit of her stomach. One of those feelings that signaled something shitty was about to happen. Any normal person would speed up.

But, Kagome wasn't just any normal person.

In fact, she was the furthest thing from normal, so her pace came to an almost complete stop, but she did remain walking the slightest bit. It seemed the feeling had vanished, yet Kagome didn't feel completely safe yet. She was unarmed and defenseless. She was entirely vulnerable in a place like this, yet she had rushed out the door without a second thought.

That was Kagome. Always the thinker.

She felt herself being pulled into an alley way and immediately, a grimy hand clamped over her mouth while that same person's other arm restrained her arms with his own muscular one causing her yellow bag to fall to the ground with a loud thump.

"So we meet again… I'm sorry, I never caught your name," a familiar voice said. He moved a little closer as Kagome remained restrained by the man's thug.

When he came within view, Kagome shouted a little 'I KNEW IT!' in her mind and struggled slightly against her captor.

It was the same shoulder-length black hair, the same crimson uniform that she had seen earlier that day. He could be good looking if you could get past the whole him being a perverted prick thing.

"If Lance removes his hand from your mouth to speak with me, will you scream?" the man called Mikamoto asked her. Kagome shook her head, but considered doing exactly that, just to piss him off. But she suddenly got a better idea. Just before 'Lance's' hand was removed from her lips, she parted her teeth, and then bit down hard on his middle finger, causing him to rip his hand from her and howl in pain.

"Fucking wench!"

Mikamoto couldn't help but chuckle at her, this feisty new toy of his.

"What's your name, girl?"

Kagome thought about giving him a smartass name but she didn't really feel like getting killed at the moment.

"Kagome," she replied, her anger about the situation seeping very obviously into her voice.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," Mikamoto whispered, reaching out a hand to stroke her cheek. Kagome visibly cringed, and before he could do anything else, slapped his hand away.

His expression this time was not all that happy. Apparently, he wasn't used to being struck. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it painfully, a sour expression on his face. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You see, that type of behavior is the kind I don't tolerate."

She rolled her eyes, which only increased his anger. Kagome was beginning to regret her smartass attitude in this situation. It had not been a very intelligent move. He took the hand that held her wrist and slammed the girl against the alleyway wall, and she did her very best not to show any visible signs of pain. A small grunt was the only thing that escaped her.

He took his free hand and reached out to stroke her soft cheek once again, and was pleased to see her not attempt to fight back. Apparently, taking that as some kind of go-ahead, his hand went from her cheek to her left breast in one swift movement, and he squeezed, a lot more painfully than she would have imagined. His eyes were dancing at this, and his lips wore a sickening, disgusting smile. Just as his hand was about to drift even farther south, Kagome couldn't take it anymore. She had reached her breaking point, and she knew she had to do something to fight back.

As quickly as she could muster the strength, Kagome lifted her leg, and sent her foot crashing into Mikamoto's pelvis, and once again, Kagome was the cause of another man howling in pain in this particular alley way.

This was her chance. She darted as quickly as she could down the alley, and toward the street light at the very end of it. But, she had forgotten two, minor factors: One, her enormous yellow backpack was an obstacle she couldn't see in the dark, and two, Lance was immediately behind her.

After slipping on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, the Spirit Detective headed out the door and began his slow walk down the street.

Where he was going, he wasn't entirely sure. He needed to get his mind off of things is all he really did know.

He heard a loud bang that nearly made him piss his pants in surprise, but brushed it off. Yusuke wasn't gonna get involved in some kind of gang fight just for kicks. He had enough to worry about.

He continued to walk, his hands in his pockets as always.

"SOMEONE! HELP M-" a girl screamed. She had been cut off.

Gang fights he wasn't fond of, but if anyone around here was harming women, he was more than willing to kick some serious ass.

He broke into a run in the direction that the scream came from, desperately looking down every alley way he passed in an attempt to find the girl that was in danger. Luckily for him, and her, he spotted it almost immediately.

Lance was holding a small girl against the wall by her neck, to Yusuke's horror, as her feet dangled inches from the ground. Mikamoto was standing just a foot or two away, slumping a little bit. 'Maybe she managed to injure him,' he hoped.

"I strongly, **strongly** suggest you put the girl down. NOW," Yusuke spat angrily, suddenly alerting the trio in front of him of his presence. Mikamoto looked more than irritated, and Lance acted as if he hadn't heard the request, tightening his grip. He knew that if he didn't act quickly, that she would either die of suffocation, or die of a broken neck. Neither of which seemed too pleasant.

"How rude of you to crash this –private- party, Urameshi," Mikamoto grumbled. "But, now that you're here, did you happen to notice the cute little girl we have in our grasp?"

Yusuke's blood ran cold. "Kagome, was it? That's her name, right?" the man inquired, inching toward the girl that Lance had pinned against the wall.

"Don't you dare," he snarled, clenching his fists. He had to wait for the right moment. One swift movement and Lance could snap the girl's neck, as easily as a child could break a twig.

Mikamoto chuckled. "Ooh, someone is a little protective. Would you mind horribly if I did… this?" His disgusting hand was inching toward the hem of her skirt, and Kagome, who could hardly breathe, was doing her best to struggle. Yusuke figured this was a better time than any.

At the risk of possibly getting in a large amount of trouble with Koenma, as well as many other things, Yusuke saw few options but to conjure up a minimal spirit gun, and hope it didn't kill Lance.

So, that's what he did. Before Mikamoto could lift up the fabric, a loud shout of "Spirit Gun!" erupted from several feet from him, and before he was aware what was happening, a flash of light hit Lance square in the face, shooting him back to an alley way against the wall, unconscious. As a result, Kagome slammed on the ground, gasping and holding her neck.

Mikamoto turned to look at Yusuke in shock, just in time to see an all-too-familiar fist rushing toward his face.

After both of her captors were incapacitated, Yusuke rushed to Kagome's aid, his expression an uncharacteristic worried one.

"Kagome! Are you alright?" he asked hurriedly.

Her face and neck were already showing signs of bruises, and he could see blood in her hair. If only he had gotten here a tad sooner. But, he knew he couldn't regret anything now. He had gotten here, and that was what was important. And she looked thankful.

"I'm ok. Just… ow," she rasped. He was happy to see that even in her current state, she still had her wry sense of humor.

"Come on, up, up, up," he told her, helping the girl to her feet. She staggered a little, and apparently decided that this was a little too much.

"Just let me rest a moment longer. I don't think I can walk it right now…" she muttered. She scooted down against the wall on her backside, and rested her sore head against the brick wall. In a mere moment, Kagome's eyes had fluttered shut. Yusuke wasn't sure if this was a bad thing or not, but either way, he knew exactly where to take her to get the help she needed.

Kagome wasn't heavy per se, he decided that just the sheer idea of carrying another human being was making her hard to carry.

But, still, he did. The good news was that Kuwabara's house was about two blocks down and Shizuru was studying to be a nurse. The two didn't have parents, and since he knew that neither of them were complete losers, they wouldn't mind letting them come in for a while and have Kagome bleed on their sofa.

About ten minutes later, Yusuke rapped loudly on the front door of Kuwabara's house and waited impatiently for someone to open the door. When no one did, he spotted the doorbell beside him and rang it several times in a row.

Seconds later, he heard angry footsteps approaching followed by the door opening to show a shirtless and pissed off looking Kuwabara standing in front of him.

"Do you know what time it is Urameshi!" he yelled. He spotted the girl in his arms and sighed. "My birthday's not for another two months."

Yusuke rolled his eyes and let himself in, Kuwabara closing the door behind him.

"Don't be stupid, Kuwabara. Is your sister around?"

Kuwabara nodded and walked out of the room, still a little angry from being taken away from whatever he was doing.

"You do realize that Robot Chicken is on, don't you!" a female voice yelled.

"I know! But, I think this is an emergency so just come help out, okay?"

A few seconds later, Shizuru appeared, but her face softened upon the sight of the injured girl.

"God, what happened?" she asked.

"Long story. Can I," Yusuke shifted her body in his arms. "You know, set her down somewhere?"

"Put her on the couch. I'll get the first aid."

Yusuke obliged and put the unconscious Kagome on the couch before sitting on a recliner a few feet away.

Noticing Yusuke's concerned expression, Kuwabara sat down in the living room as well, his eyes focused on the girl.

"Isn't that… that Kagome girl from the arcade?" he asked softly. Yusuke nodded.

"Yup, one and the same."

"She's hurt," Yusuke rolled his eyes at this, but didn't say anything, knowing that Kuwabara was only trying to help him. "What happened?"

"She had a run-in with Mikamoto and one of his buddies."

Kuwabara cringed. "Well, she's just a little beat up, right?" he asked, fully aware of Mikamoto's reputation. "Nothing . . . serious?"

Yusuke shook his head just as Shizuru returned with a damp towel and a first aid kit.

"Geez, this is ugly," she said as she examined the wound on Kagome's head. She dabbed it with the damp towel and made a strange noise with her tongue.

"What is it?" Yusuke asked, more than a little worried.

"Looks like a concussion. There's not a whole lot you can do about it though, but it does explain her loss of consciousness. We'll need to keep an eye on her. But, there's nothing I can do about these bruises on her face and neck. Just use ice, I suppose."

"You suppose? Aren't you in medical school?" Yusuke growled. Shizuru rolled her eyes as she bandaged Kagome's head wound and stood up.

"Yes. Listen, your little girlfriend's gonna be just fine. You can hang here for the night if you want so we can keep an eye on her, but she'll live, Yusuke, I guaran-fucking-tee it."

She bid them both good-night before exiting the room in the same direction she came.

"I'll get some blankets," Kuwabara declared, standing up. He returned moments later, pillows and blankets in hand. He handed them all to Yusuke and gave a small wave.

"'Night, Urameshi."

"Yup," was all the Yusuke replied as his friend and comrade left the room as well.

Yusuke was extremely relieved. She was okay, it seemed that he had gotten worried. But, then again, she did say that Kagome had a concussion, so he didn't feel like a complete fool for being concerned.

He approached the couch that Kagome was on and gingerly placed a pillow under her head and a blanket over her.

'Even though she got the crap beat out of her, she's still pretty damn cute,' he thought with a small smirk as he placed a blanket over her. He threw the other pillow on the floor beside the couch and lay down where it was, placing the second blanket over himself.

"What a day… " he muttered to himself as he closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep.


	4. Rain

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH or Inuyasha.

Nearly the Same

**Chapter 4: Rain**

Kagome woke up around noon the next day, the back of her head and her bruises aching like there was no tomorrow. She sat up and was really confused when she found that she had no idea where she was.

She stood up, a little too quickly she found out, and very disgracefully tripped over something that had been laying right beside the couch. She'd been tripping a lot lately, actually.

"You know… it's really a shame that I don't wake up with this view every morning," someone said beneath her. Kagome stood up quickly, her face red with embarrassment and anger.

"Pervert."

Yusuke was lying on his back, a small smirk on his face and his hands laced together behind his head.

As Yusuke got up, Kagome continued to look around the room, not moving an inch.

"We're at Kuwabara's," Yusuke supplied, as if he had known exactly what she was thinking. "His sister lent a hand last night when you were hurt. Speaking of which… do you fucking believe me now when I say that you shouldn't walk alone around here!" He wasn't shouting, but he was pretty damn close. His volume level was just a little higher than normal.

Kagome rolled her eyes at his words before sitting back down on the couch.

"In any case. You alright?" he asked. His only response was a quick, curt nod, but she supplied him with a small smile.

"Breakfast is almost ready!" a cheerful voice screamed. In walked Kuwabara, clad in a bright pink apron and matching oven mitts.

Kagome giggled at his appearance and the redhead's attention turned to her.

"Hey, Kagome! How ya feelin'?" he asked. She hadn't known him for very long, an even shorter length of time that she had known Yusuke, but she already got the impression that he was a nice guy. A little strange, but a nice guy nonetheless.

"I'm fine. Perhaps you can get Yusuke off my back here, though," she asked, shooting a glare at the Spirit Detective.

"Excuse me for worrying!" Yusuke yelled, but immediately regretted it. He saw the surprised looks on both Kagome and Kuwabara's faces and avoided all possible eye contact.

"You were worried?" Kagome asked timidly. Yusuke could feel all the blood in his body rushing to his face.

"Nope. Not really," he replied casually. For the second time already, Kagome rolled her eyes at him.

"Where's your restroom, Kazuma?" she asked. Kuwabara pointed to the hallway.

"Down the hallway, second door on your right."

Kagome nodded in thanks before standing up and disappearing into the hallway.

"She looks bad," Kuwabara stated obviously.

"No shit, there Sherlock. What do ya want me to do about it?"

"Be nicer?" he suggested, but received only a glare in return.

"No. It's not my fault the dumbass went out and nearly got herself killed last night," Yusuke grumbled. He ran his hand through his unusually messy black hair and sighed.

"Why care? I thought you said you weren't worried about her, Urameshi," Kuwabara reminded him. Yusuke cursed mentally, knowing that his usually dumb friend was finally making some sense.

Kagome flinched when she gently touched her black eye. Well, technically, it wasn't black, but it was a pretty sick looking bruise. She was thankful that her cheek didn't look as bad as it felt, and inwardly thanked Kuwabara's sister for bandaging her wound so well, though she never had a chance to meet her properly.

She tried in vain to make her hair look a little better, but the matted blood in the back was making things a little difficult. She was in desperate need of a shower.

"Open the door! I gotta take a piss," Yusuke demanded from the other side, as he knocked on the bathroom door.

Kagome opened it and exited the bathroom without a word, or even so much as a glance to Yusuke.

As she headed down the hallway and she passed by a room that had the most extraordinary and appealing scent to it. She had no choice to stop. She peered into the room and nearly burst into laughter at the sight.

Kuwabara was in front of the stove dancing as he continued to flip the pancakes on the pan, all the while using the turner as a microphone, singing Liz Phair's "Why Can't I".

"WHY CAN'T I BREATHE WHENEVER I THINK ABOUT YOU! WHY CAN'T I SPEAK WHENEVER I TALK ABOUT YOU! IT'S INEVITABLE! IT'S A FACT THAT WE'RE GONNA GET DOWN TO IT!-"

Kagome knocked softly on the door-frame in an attempt to get the poor guy's attention and perhaps get him to keep at least a shred of his almost nonexistent dignity. But, in fact, when he turned around, he didn't seem embarrassed at all that she had caught him singing to one of the sappiest songs ever created, but smiled and gave a small wave instead. He was more comfortable in his own skin and happy to be himself that anyone she had ever met.

"Hiya! Bacon's on the table, I'm almost done with the pancakes now!" he said excitedly. He turned back to the stove, all the while humming the same song under his breath.

"Do you need help with anything?" she asked. Kuwabara immediately, but kindly refused her offer so Kagome sat down at the table. She wanted to go see Inuyasha, but feared that he would be more aggravating than Yusuke at the sight of her injuries and decided otherwise. She did realize, however, that she still needed to go to her new school and pick up her uniforms. She was due to start at Sarayaski High the next day.

"Kazuma? I don't suppose you would mind coming with me to Saryaski High to pick up some uniforms, do you? I have a feeling that Yusuke wouldn't be too excited about going with me," Kagome explained, twiddling her thumbs.

"Well, I'm not excited, but I definitely don't have anything else better to do," Yusuke's voice suddenly rang. He sat down in a chair next to Kagome, who avoided his eyes.

Kuwabara gave Yusuke a disappointing glance as he set a plate of pancakes on the middle of the dining room table.

"Look, Kagome. I'm… sorry for… yelling."

Kagome looked up, a smile immediately gracing her face.

"Was that really so hard?" she asked cheerfully, poking his cheek playfully.

"Honestly? Yeah, it kinda was," he replied, as he put much more food than was needed for one person on his plate, while Kagome grabbed what was probably considered less than enough.

Kuwabara sat down near them, the pink apron and oven mitts now finally absent from his hands.

"You know anyone else that goes to Saryaski?" Kuwabara asked Kagome, trying to strike up a conversation.

"Nope, not really. Doesn't that make you feel special?" she asked in return, grinning.

Yusuke smiled ever so slightly at her antics, and mentally wondered how she was able to remain so happy, even after what nearly happened the night before. He wouldn't dare bring it up, though. He refused to be the one that brought despair crashing down on her again.

Only about five minutes after they started, they were all finished eating, Kagome thought about something.

"Oh! Before we go pick up my uniforms, I need to stop by my place quickly. I'll only be about ten minutes or so," she informed them. Yusuke grumbled under his breath but nodded and they prepared to leave.

"I wanna come too! Can I come? She asked me first, Urameshi!" Kuwabara said quickly. Kagome nodded, and quickly informed him that he was able to come.

"The more, the merrier," she added with a smile.

"Kagome, Inu- . . why hello there!" Shiori greeted, her face turning red. She had started to tell her that Inuyasha was waiting for her in her room, until two guys had walked in directly behind her.

"In me? What's in me?" Kuwabara asked worriedly. Shiori and Kagome ignored his comment.

"Kagome, dear! What on Earth happened to you?"

Kagome waved her off, looking sheepish.

"I'll… be right back! Stay here! Don't follow me… " Kagome said suspiciously, and a little goofily as she ran in another room.

"Inuyasha!" she whispered loudly after she had shut her bedroom door. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Shit, Kagome! What the fuck happened to you! Who did this!" he yelled, much louder than the high pitched whispering that Kagome had used seconds before.

"Shhh!" She put a finger to her lips, her eyebrows drawing together. "There's other people here!" she said, still whispering. Inuyasha muttered a small apology under his breath before examining her injuries.

"Who did this? One of those guys out there?" he asked angrily. Kagome shook her head.

"No, so don't go and attack them or anything. Just calm down! It was all taken care of," she explained, as she began to rummage through her drawers for a new outfit.

"Is the dumbass that did this dead?" Inuyasha asked, folding his arms over his chest. Kagome shook her head.

"No, he's not dead, but he got the crap kicked out of him," she informed her half-demon friend.

"Then it's not taken care of," Inuyasha retorted. As she passed by him, he was able to catch a scent; most likely of her attacker. "I'll get back to you later, Kagome."

And just like that, he was gone.

The scumbag that had attacked Kagome was easy enough to find, and better yet, he was alone. No one to claim that a freak with 'kitty' ears, as they had been called so many times, had killed this guy. It was a playground, but no children were found here today; the air was sticky and humid, and the sky was filled with angry looking clouds.

The guy was very punk-ish looking, in Inuyasha's opinion. He didn't even look that tough; granted, Kagome wasn't exactly muscular herself, so it wouldn't be hard for a guy like this to take advantage of her.

"Hi there, friend," Inuyasha said coldly. The man froze in his steps, not bothering to turn around.

"What do you want?" he asked monotonously.

"Your life sound reasonable?" the half-demon asked casually. At this, the guy turned around and saw Inuyasha. His eyes widened as he eyed Inuyasha claws attatched to his flexing fingers, and the evil, sadistic smirk on his face.

Inuyasha smirk only grew as he put his claws mercilessly around Mikamoto's neck, causing him to grunt in pain. His feet were dangling from the ground, and his arms flailed desperately in any attempt to get Inuyasha to loosen his grip on him.

"Did Kagome scream for help? Did she try to run away when you were beating the living hell out of her?" he growled. It was if he had known everything that had taken place and now, it gave him great satisfaction knowing that the roles were reversed. Now, this guy was the one that was getting hurt out of someone else's satisfaction.

"P-please-"

"You hurt someone that I deeply care about. It was the biggest fucking mistake of your miserable life," Inuyasha said, noting that Mikamoto was getting less and less lively by the second. "Luckily, it's ending now. Your life, that is," he finished. Finally, the last breath of the gang leader exited his lips and his eyelids drifted shut.

Inuyasha's grip on his neck released and watched with satisfaction as his body fell to the ground roughly.

And then, at that moment, it began to rain.


	5. A New Mission

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or Inuyasha.

Nearly the Same

**Chapter 5: A New Mission**

"The skies in Tokyo today are going to be partly cloudy with a high of 16 degrees Celsius. No rain is expected-"

"Are they blind? I can predict the weather better than these clowns," Keiko grumbled after shutting off her TV set with the remote. Beside her, Kurama grinned in amusement at her comment just as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Would you like to go for a stroll through the park? As I recall, there's one just a few blocks away," Kurama suggested softly. In response, Keiko lifted up her head and squealed happily.

"Absolutely! I'll go grab an umbrella," she began, an all-knowing expression crossing her features. "Because it WILL rain."

Kurama nodded and watched as his girlfriend left the room to retrieve the item.

And, just as Keiko had so intelligently predicted, it DID rain, though that being said is somewhat of an understatement. Lucky for Keiko and Kurama, they had been prepared for such an event and the bright pink, daisy covered umbrella saved the couple from the falling precipitation.

The walk to the park was rather short and enveloped almost entirely in silence, which is one thing that the both of them appreciated. It wasn't an awkward, uncomfortable silence; it was a peaceful, silence. Keiko knew it was never something that Yusuke would be able to provide. In fact, he had proved it to her on numerous occasions. All of their 'encounters' usually ended up in Keiko's uniformed skirt being flipped up or with her behind pinched. Despite it all, she knew that there was some girl out there that would tolerate his badass and sometimes perverted antics. In fact, she very much wished that Yusuke would find that girl, sooner or later. The aforementioned being the preferred.

"What's going on?" Kurama said softly, shaking Keiko from her thoughts. She looked up and was surprised to see that they were at the park… just not one that either one were used to.

Yellow police tape was strung around a large area of the park with a generous amount of officers surrounding it in an attempt to keep curious citizens back. And man, were there a lot of curious citizens.

Keiko had seen her fair share of investigation and murder mystery shows, so immediately she knew that someone was dead.

"Would you please excuse me? Kagome's grandfather has fallen ill and he's requested a bowl of soup," Shiori said with a sad smile. Yusuke immediately obliged and Kagome's mother disappeared into the kitchen.

"Don't you sense that, Urameshi?" Kuwabara whispered. Yusuke rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I know. But concentrate a little bit more and you'll realize it's not an evil demon. Besides, it's not even a full demon," he informed his friend. Seconds later, Kagome entered the room, looking quite flustered.

"Where'd your 'friend' go?" Kuwabara asked, using the title that Shiori used to explain the shouting down the hallway.

"Uhh… What?" Kagome tried to play dumb.

Kuwabara rolled his eyes. "Don't play blonde with us, missy. We know you were doing the naughty with some guy in your room!"

Kagome's eyes widened. "We were not… Yes, I had a friend in there. But we weren't… doing that!"

"Well, where is he, so I can confirm this story!" Kuwabara shrieked dramatically. Kagome sighed, and gave up.

"He left the same way he came in. Fire escape," she supplied easily. Yusuke quirked an amused eyebrow. "He's not exactly what you call 'normal'." Just as Yusuke was about to respond with what would probably be an insulting comment, Kagome spoke again. "I'll be out of the shower in a few minutes."

"School won't be open past five, ya know," Yusuke informed her just as she had turned. She gave him a confused look. "You still wanna pick up those uniforms don't you?"

Realization finally dawning on her, Kagome nodded and departed as well.

True to her word, the teenage girl returned a few moments later, her hair still damp and a new bandage covering her head wound.

"Okay, let's go!" she exclaimed with fake cheerfulness. In the back of her mind, there was only one thing gnawing at her and it had nothing to do with her concussion or her school, and had everything to do with her good friend Inuyasha.

The trio walked into the high school and Kagome gave a sigh of relief when she saw that a clock read exactly 4:45. Surely that was enough time to pick up a few uniforms from the office. After all, Shiori had already called in with her sizes a few days prior.

"Can I help you with something?" a snide voice rang. It was an elderly woman, probably in at least late sixties who was wearing a pair of glasses and glaring at Yusuke. Apparently, they had met.

"Yes, I'm Kagome Higurashi, I'm here to pick up my uniforms."

"Oh, yes, Mr. Kineo requested that he speak with you when you arrived. He's in the office just down there." She pointed a skinny, wrinkly finger at a doorway. She gave Kagome a smile, but Yusuke received the worst frown that the secretary could muster.

Kagome nodded in thanks at the woman, but as Yusuke walked past to follow her, he gave the woman the finger.

"Yusuke!" Kagome scolded loudly.

"Are you hoping for another detention, Urameshi?" the old woman asked angrily. Yusuke smirked and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"You honestly think I would show up for it, you old hag?"

Kagome's eyes widened a little, but even she could see the humor in the situation. Though she did allow a small smile to appear, she decided it best to go see this 'Mr. Kineo' while Yusuke argued with the 'old hag', Kuwabara watching in amusement.

She stepped into the office and mentally cursed the man for having the air conditioner on in perfectly nice weather. But when she saw the man's expression, the cold air seemed to say quite a bit about his character.

He wasn't quite yet middle-aged, but he wasn't exactly young, either. He had short black hair and thick glasses that covered his cold looking eyes. He wasn't the epitome of friendly looking.

"Ms. Higurashi?"

She nodded.

"I do believe that you were expected yesterday."

Kagome frowned and lowered her head slightly. "I'm sorry, I've been assisting my mother around our home from the move," she lied easily.

"Hmm, it's no matter, I suppose." His eyes drifted out the doorway and into the main office where Yusuke was still arguing with the secretary.

"Friends of yours?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir. They were kind enough to walk me here."

The man grunted. Kagome mentally noted that he hadn't cracked even a hint of a smile since she entered the room.

"I don't suppose Urameshi was the one that was kind enough to give you those bruises was he?"

Kagome's jaw dropped. 'What is he talking about?' she thought. 'Honestly, my rescuer being accused of the crime.'

"No."

Mr. Kineo raised an eyebrow at her quick and straight answer. It didn't seem to be the one he was expecting.

"Is that so? Well, I can assure you that if you keep friends like that, your time here will not be at all enjoyable. You really should choose your friends wisely, Higurashi."

Kagome frowned and clenched her fists together tightly, but kept her mouth shut. Was he testing her, or something?

"I came here for my school uniforms," she informed him, purposefully changing to subject.

He nodded to Kagome and pulled a garment sack from a rack beside of his desk and handed the item to her. For the first time since her entrance, his gloomy expression changed to a wicked and twisted looking smirk.

"Welcome to Saryaski High."

"Yeah, he doesn't care for me much," Yusuke explained with a grin. Apparently, much of the Saryaski High staff wasn't too fond of the teen and Kagome could easily guess why.

The trio had just boarded the city bus, due to the precipitation that had just begun to fall from the sky.

"That's 'cause you're a jerk, Urameshi," Kuwabara informed him. Yusuke ignored the comment and sat down on one of the plushy benches that lined the side of the walls, while Kagome sat down beside of him, and Kuwabara next to her.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far, but you should be nicer to old ladies," Kagome informed him with a small smile.

"That woman is the devil in disguise! I refuse to be nice to that wench!"

At this comment, Kagome immediately thought of her half-demon friend. She was getting a horrible, wretched feeling in the pit of her stomach and she clenched her hands tightly around the top of the garment bag containing her uniforms.

"You alright?" Yusuke asked beside her, a dark eyebrow raised in what seemed to be a hint of concern. She nodded furiously.

"I'm fine. I'm starting to get hungry is all!" She gave a shy smile to match her perky sounding comment. Luckily, neither of her new companions saw through it.

"Now that you mention it, I'm starting to get a little hungry too," Kuwabara mentioned.

"But, I should probably head home. My grandfather hasn't been feeling too great so I should probably be there to help out."

Kuwabara nodded in understanding while Yusuke smirked.

"Well, since I saved you and all, the least you could do is make me some cookies."

Kagome sweat-dropped. "… Cookies?" Yusuke nodded in response, his smirk still plastered firmly on his features.

"Yes, cookies. And the full use of your TV, of course. I don't have cable so I get about four channels," he explained. Kagome laughed and turned to Kuwabara.

"You're free to come over too, if you want. It's the least I can do." Kuwabara's eyes lit up.

"Will they be chocolate chip cookies?"

For the second time that day, the trio arrived at the apartment complex, but this time had to dash inside to get away from the rain.

"Mom! I'm home!" Kagome shouted when they entered the apartment. She received a friendly response almost immediately and she sat down on the newly placed couch in front of the television set.

"Hey, what about the cookies?" Yusuke asked. Kagome stuck out her tongue and tucked her legs under herself as she flicked on the television with the remote control. Kuwabara on the other hand, didn't really seem to care as he made himself at home and sat down as well. "I was promised cookies."

"No, actually you weren't. You pretty much demanded the cookies. I never actually responded," Kagome reminded him. Sighing in defeat he plopped down next to Kagome. He knew that he would never win this one because Yusuke knew she was right.

"Hmm, strange. Same thing on almost all of the channels," Kagome muttered. She finally quit her channel surfing and settled on one channel where a news caster was speaking quite seriously.

"Officials decided to close down local schools until further notice after discovering a student's body in Saryaski Park. Here's Daniella Nita with the latest."

The screen blacked out for not even a second until it was focused on a completely different location. Saryaski Park. A fancily clad news reporter was directly in middle of the shot after the camera had panned around the area several times to show the viewers what seemed to be the crime scene.

"I'm here with Tokyo Police Chief Brand Rowena. Can you tell us exactly what has happened here, sir? And do you have any leads on the case?"

A microphone was thrust in the middle-aged man's direction for his reply, which was received almost immediately.

"We're not exactly sure what we're looking for at this point. But whatever did this, does not seem to be human. The victim had several claw marks or fingernail marks, we're not sure at this point, on his neck. This could be a murder, this could be just a brutal animal attack. If there was any evidence at all, it was washed away with the rain."

The camera was switched back to the first reporter and then to a large picture of a very familiar face.

"The victim was 18 year old Ken Mikamoto-"

"Fuck," Yusuke swore loudly. He scooted up further in his seat, listening intently to every word that was coming out of the reporter's mouth. He was curious before, now he was concerned and rightfully suspicious of Kagome's demonic friend. This was definitely no random killing.

As soon as the picture had appeared on the screen, Kagome's heart seemed to sink lower and lower. But, when the news anchor said Mikamoto's name to officially confirm it, her heart completely plummeted.

"_Is the dumbass that did this dead?"_

"_No, he's not dead, but he got the crap kicked out of him."_

"_Then it's not taken care of."_

His words haunted her to her very core. Why hadn't she stopped him? She must've known that something like this would happen! Well, sure she knew, but it was simple denial and disbelief. Never in her wildest dreams had she actually pictured Inuyasha killing a human being, an innocent one or not. But, now, it had happened and it didn't seem real.

She could feel that every bit of color had left her face long ago and she could feel herself becoming disgustingly sick. Kagome stood up and dashed for the bathroom.

"Kagome-!" Yusuke called after her, but she completely ignored him. She really didn't think she'd be able to answer him at the moment anyway.

Yusuke swore loudly again and mentally cursed Koenma straight to Hell when the toddler rang in on his communication mirror.

"What is it!" Yusuke whispered loudly, so as not to alert the members of the Higurashi household.

"I don't know what crawled up your ass, Yusuke, and quite frankly, I don't really care. I've got a new mission for you and the others."


	6. Mutated Bunnies

A/N: Here it is! Chapter 6. After like… a crapload of time. Whoopsies. Hope it's enjoyable.

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH or Inuyasha.

Nearly the Same

**Chapter 6:**

"You want us to go there… now?!" Yusuke whispered loudly. Koenma's image was an unhappy and irritated looking one, but he nodded.

"Really, Yusuke. This is a pretty serious matter, and I would really appreciate it if you stopped being such a useless BUM.

Yusuke slammed the communicator shut, and cursed under his breath. Kuwabara's eyes were still fixated on the television, and Kagome was still in the bathroom, apparently.

"Kuwabara, we gotta go," he said in an annoyed tone. Kuwabara frowned.

"I don't wanna."

"Too fucking bad. We'll check on Kagome later, we better not keep the toddler waiting," The Spirit Detective explained. Kuwabara sighed, but nodded, and the two exited the apartment, in a bit of a hurry.

"I don't get it. What kind of retarded demon just runs around killing humans?" Hiei asked casually.

For some reason he wasn't yet aware of, Yusuke felt the need to defend this creature they called Inuyasha, and what he did. "You say that like this was just a random killing. It sure as hell wasn't random, and the one that was on the receiving end of it, definitely deserved it."

Koenma looked up. "Be that as it may, Yusuke, a demon killing a human in the human world is punishable by death, end of story. Doesn't matter if the human is innocent or not, it is what it is."

"So, you're sending us hunting for this HALF-breed? This is hardly a worthy challenge," the shortest of the group complained, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh, but on the contrary, my midget friend. You will be traveling through time to completely such a task!" Koenma declared dramatically, his pacifier-filled mouth curved into a disturbing smile.

"Um, what?"

"This 'half-breed'," the ruler began, using hand quotes as he mocked Hiei, "Resides in a completely different era. Isn't that neat?"

Yusuke rolled his eyes, and leaned against the back wall, pondering exactly what they were going to be doing. And also wondering if this would destroy what friendship he and Kagome had, if she somehow managed to find out about this.

"With all due respect, Koenma, couldn't you just… not order us to kill him? He's in a different time, and clearly, if he has access to this era from his own, why hasn't he done this before? I just… don't forsee this demon as being much of a threat," Kurama reasoned. Yusuke looked at him inquiringly. 'It's like he knows…'

"Dammit, what is wrong with you folks? I'm giving you the opportunity to do what many people think is impossible! Time travel! AND you'll get to kill a demon! Maybe two! Whoo! Be happy!" he was practically dancing.

"So… do we have to?" Kuwabara asked sheepishly, scratching his head.

"Yup. Stop complaining before I sick some mutated bunnies on you."

Kuwabara looked rather horrified, the rest of the group was just puzzled at not only this insane sounding mission, which was oh-so-different from the rest, but at the mutated bunnies. Did he really possess such a thing?

Kagome finished washing her face, and dabbed it try with a towel hanging on the east wall. 'Is this… my fault?' She thought, keeping the tears gathering in her eyes. Indirectly, or directly, depending on what way you look at it, she was responsible for the death of a human.

'What if that Lance guy somehow connects this to me because of last night? Or… Yusuke?'

Kagome shivered at the thought. She had to speak to Inuyasha. Or sit Inuyasha until he reached the opposite side of the Earth. Either or.

Completely forgetting that Yusuke and Kuwabara were supposed to be sitting in her living room, probably awaiting cookies, she hurried to her room and packed another bag, after losing her previous one the night before. She packed only the necessities, clothes, shampoo, and of course, pocky. Seeming satisfied with her chosen belongings, she zipped up the bag, slung it over her shoulder, and climbed out the fire escape. She would have to explain to Kuwabara and Yusuke later. This was a bit of an emergency.

She wasn't sure exactly what good talking to Inuyasha would do, and what she would say, but she just knew that she had to.

As she jogged to the shrine, she thought inwardly about why she did it. 'In a way… I suppose it was done out of love,' she decided inwardly. 'But, either way. It was wrong. It was so, so wrong.' Killing demons that were trying to kill you first, or kill others was one thing. Killing a teenage human in this era, one who was innocent or not, was a completely different thing.

The walk to the shrine seemed insanely long, so she was incredibly relieved when she finally saw the mountain of steps that led to her old residence, and she ran up them faster than she ever had. Kagome was happy to see that it didn't seem as though the new owners were home, or at the very least, were, and couldn't see her. Either way, she was very lucky, and very pleased.

She darted into the well house, and without even hesitating, or using the ladder, jumped into the black pit.

Kagome threw her bag over the lip of the well in the feudal era, and wasn't surprised to see Shippou darting toward her, as though he had fully intended to knock her back down the well. Luckily for her, his measly five pounds could do nothing of the sort.

The ball of fur pounding into her stomach knocked the wind out of her, but she was still standing, and despite the current situation, happy to see her little fox demon.

"Kagome! I missed you so much!" he squealed. He had climbed up her chest, and was now nuzzling his face into her neck, and she couldn't help but grin just a little. But, suddenly, he pulled back, and gazed up at her. "Kagome…? What happened?"

Kagome smiled and patted his head. "Nothing, Shippou. Don't suppose you know where Inuyasha is, do you?"

Shippou nodded. "He's at the stream just north of Kaede's. Something about needing to wash up."

Kagome shivered. 'Of course.'. "Thanks, Shippou. I'll catch up with you, soon, ok?" she said, ruffling his hair. He nodded happily, and bounced off to only God knows where.

The stream wasn't far from the well, only about ten minutes walk if you were walking normally, and five in Kagome's case, where she was practically running. It was a stream that Kagome and Sango used frequently to bathe in, so she knew exactly where it was located. And just as Shippou had stated, Inuyasha was there, standing only in his bright red pants, wringing out his top. His back was turned to her, but she was positive he knew of her presence. But he didn't say a word.

"Inuyasha."

He stopped his movement, but still, kept his back facing her. It was like he was ashamed to look at her. Kagome couldn't stand it. She dropped her bag, clenched her fists, and went stalking toward him. She was practically right behind him, and still. Nothing.

"Dammit, LOOK at me, Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, her words sounding full of tears. And so he did.

His expression was a pained one, his eyes were… sad looking. It was the only way Kagome could describe it. His lips were drawn into a soft frown, and she almost regretted yelling at him in such a way. Almost.

"Are you… at all aware of what you have done? Do you realize that you may have completely ruined my life in my time?" she sniffled. Her eyes drifted downward, completely fixated on a single pebble under the water. She couldn't bear to look at the expression that her words just caused.

"I wasn't thinking clearly. I just couldn't bear to think that the sick fuck that did this to you was still walking out there. Don't you understand?"

"No. What I understand is that I don't NEED you to take care of me anymore."

He looked as though she had just struck him.

"Kagome, I was just trying to protect you! You could've gotten killed by that bastard, he could've come back later and finished you off, or worse! You're weak, wench, don't you get that?!" he yelled.

And in an act that may be pointless in some points of view, Kagome lifted her hand and slapped Inuyasha hard across the face. It didn't hurt him, but the action was enough. More than enough.


	7. Donuts

Nearly The Same

Chapter 7: Donuts…

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or YYH … or Cosmo.

* * *

Inuyasha could practically feel his chapped lips quivering as he watched Kagome cradle her now red hand with it's partner. Her bangs draped over here eyes, but he could already tell. He could smell it. She was actually crying.

"Sometimes, Inuyasha… I really wonder about you," she began shakily, turning her back to him. "The jewel is done. And if you really cared about me at all, you wouldn't have jeopardized my life in my time. So what is it that you need from me, that you need to keep me alive so badly?!"

The hanyou's eyes widened, not fully believing the words that were exiting Kagome's mouth. Finally, his expression turned to one of anger. His fangs gritted together, and his claws began digging into his palms.

"Is that really what you think? Do you think that I went there because I needed you for another fucking adventure? You think I don't care? You couldn't be more wrong. And if that's really what you think, you certainly don't know me, and you shouldn't be here at all," he snapped.

"Yeah. Maybe you're right," she said softly. Inuyasha let his guard down, and released a soft sigh. She had only taken three small steps forward before he just couldn't bear to keep himself silent as she walked away, possibly for good.

"Dammit! Hold on, Kagome!"

She had only turned just slightly to face him, when she was shocked to feel him embracing her, tightly, and it gave her the feeling that he just didn't want to let go. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Kagome."

* * *

"So, Yusuke, what exactly do you know about this latest case that we do not?" Kurama inquired with a small, all-knowing smile.

"What? Who said I knew anything?" Yusuke attempted, avoiding eye contact and letting off a highly suspicious whistle.

Kurama and Yusuke were standing outside a local convenience store waiting for Kuwabara and Botan. Kuwabara claimed that he needed "supplies" for their trip, because "Who knows how long this dumbass mission will take! I need a huge supply of candy!". Would you know that the guy was eighteen years old?

"Do you not know me at all, Yusuke Urameshi?"

"Besides, when does Yusuke ever know **anything** about anything?" Botan quipped cheerfully, her arms full of two grocery sacks, both filled to the brim with what looked like a lot of unhealthy foods and beverages. Kuwabara, on the other hand, had just walked out of the swinging door behind her, his head bent over a… Cosmopolitan magazine? What was wrong with this picture?

"You worthless twit," Hiei could be heard muttering from against the wall. No one had been aware of his presence. Well, everyone except Kurama, that is.

Yusuke rolled his eyes before he got back to their barely started conversation. "Anyway. I don't know much. I just think that I might know someone… associated to this demon we're after."

"But, the demon is in a completely different era, Yusuke, I'm slightly confused," Botan replied, shifting the bags in her arms. Kurama seemed to immediately see her dilemma, and of course, came to her aid. Queue Yusuke rolling his eyes once more, before he continued.

"I guess I don't really understand it myself. We'll find out the whole story when we get there, right?"

"Not unless I slice his head off before he manages to spew off any answers," Hiei said with a grim smile. Just then, there was a shrill ringing sound coming from within their little circle of friends. Kurama muttered a small, polite apology before he shifted the sack he had taken from Botan to the other arm and reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone.

"A demon carrying a human designed cellular device. Not exactly something you see everyday," Yusuke groaned rudely, knowing exactly who would be calling, and not exactly feeling all warm and fuzzy inside about it.

"Keiko, … No, this isn't a bad time, and I'm certainly happy to hear from you," Kurama cooed into the phone, taking subtle steps away from their group.

"He's lying on both counts!" Kurama yelped, chuckling as he did so, before he turned his attention right back to his magazine. "Did you know that there's a pretty interesting trick you can do with a donut …?"

"I suppose information like that would certainly be useful to you, now wouldn't it!" Botan said, amazingly cheerful, although she had just burned Kuwabara. Badly. Which was strangely out of character for the normally kind and thoughtful Spirit Guide. Even Hiei was looking at her curiously.

"I mean…" She was blushing incredibly, and avoiding eye contact with the puzzled face of her dopey friend. Luckily, she didn't need to redeem herself, as Kurama reentered the scene with a wide smile on his face, and his familiar and comforting demeanor.

"Alright, are we ready to begin?" he asked.

* * *

It was peaceful in Kaede's hut, which was very unusual for her residence. As small as it was, it was very normal for the 10 by 10 room to be bustling with a variety of characters, and of course, Kaede herself. But at the moment, she was picking herbs with the village children, Shippou and Kirara, teaching them all their medicinal uses and purposes. Sango and Miroku were out doing… God knows what. Frankly, Inuyasha wasn't interested and certainly didn't care, because chances were, it was disgusting.

Kagome was sleeping peacefully, her cheeks brushed with a red tint from her emotional day, and her face still banged up from her encounter with Mikamoto. It had only been a couple days since then, but her bruises were still healing painfully slow for Inuyasha, who was more than tiring of seeing the reminders etched on her normally perfect complexion.

The nap was certainly needed for her, the last few nights hadn't been nearly filled with the sleep that she desperately needed. And at least with Inuyasha, she could rest easily and know that she would be completely safe.

He was sitting remarkably close to the fire burning in the center of the room, his arms crossed over his chest like they normally were, and his stunning eyes closed tightly shut, most of the time. Occasionally he would peek out of the one closest to Kagome, just to make sure she was breathing easy.

He was very relieved that the argument with Kagome had been resolved, for the most part anyway. He was positive that this was a 'forgive, but never forget' situation, and quite frankly, he wasn't sure he blamed her. But, regardless, he couldn't be more thankful for the outcome. Kagome was safe, she was happy, and she was here.

* * *

Botan had lead them all to a secluded, shaded area in a nearby wood, and had, miraculously opened a portal to the half-demon's era. Apparently the so-called 'Grim Reaper's abilities were much more than any of them were aware of. Just as they were about to step through the portal, Yusuke looked at her curiously.

"You're not going with us?" he asked, looking at her as she was already climbing atop her oar. She smiled and cheerfully shook her head.

"I've got people to lead to the Spirit World and all that…" she said with a wink. Somehow, it had slipped the Spirit Detective's mind. It was still hard to imagine the Grim Reaper as someone like Botan. She wasn't skinless or fleshless, she didn't have the dark black robe and the disgusting and coldhearted demeanor that was portrayed in all the television programs and fairy tales. She was a blue-haired vixen with a British accent. 'And a niiiice chest,' Yusuke reminded himself mentally, releasing another suspicious whistle.

"Anyway, have fun on your mission!" she squealed, riding off into the sky on her unusual mode of transportation. She was certainly an odd one, far too cheerful to be dealing with so many dead people on a daily basis.

Shrugging, as the last of the group walked through the portal, he followed behind, and it closed behind him.

This alternate era was certainly something he hadn't been expecting. Well, to be honest, Yusuke wasn't exactly positive what he thought he would find here. He didn't think it would be a desert terrain and dozens of volcanoes and dinosaurs or anything, but he wasn't expecting this.

It was something out of a fairy tale, it seemed. The lush terrain, the uncountable number of trees, and no immediate sound aside from a few birds chirping and what sounded like water running nearby…

Everyone else seemed equally as puzzled, but Hiei and Kuwabara were the only ones not expressing it. However, the latter was already reaching his large hand into his goodie bag to pull out what looked like a can of soda pop.

Yusuke strongly resisted the urge to plop down on his ass and just lean back and take a nap, but they had a mission to accomplish. He wasn't entirely happy about it, but he knew he owed Koenma, and he knew what his job was. But, what he didn't know was-

"Where the fuck are we supposed to find this guy?"


End file.
